Thursday, June 19, 2008 -- Seattle Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi was dismissed earlier this week, today it was the turn of manager John McLaren.

The Seattle Mariners had started this year confidently expecting to at least get to the playoffs...instead they are the cellar dwellers.

John McLaren has never impressed as a manager - he was given the job more because he and Ichiro Suzuki got along very well (Ichiro and previous manager Hargrove had not gotten along).

Bench coach Jim Riggleman was promoted as interim manager. His first game in charge will be on Friday night, in Atlanta. He is Seattle's fifth manager in six seasons.

There's suspicion that some players will get the boot as well (which would make sense, as its the players on the field who aren't performing - and it's Bavasi's responsibility for that, rather than McLaren's.)

Many fans felt that Richie Sexson should have been let go last year and utily fielder Ben Broussard given the job. He could have done no worse. Instead Broussard was traded to the Texas Rangers...and is currently in the Chicago Cub's minor leagues. (It should be Broussard at first and Sexson in the minors, in this writer's opinion.)

The Mariners are in danger of becoming the first team in Major League History to have a payroll of over $100 million, and lose a hundred games.

We await developments with interest.